


Loyalty's Double-Edged Sword

by Zetal (Rodinia)



Category: Supernatural
Genre: AU, Established Samichael, Love Triangle, M/M, Polyamory Negotiations, Pre-Poly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-10
Updated: 2018-10-10
Packaged: 2019-07-29 04:41:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16256867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rodinia/pseuds/Zetal
Summary: Castiel had always been a good soldier.  Part of that meant accepting that his superiors got all the credit, all the glory, and first choice of the spoils of any battle.  He was content with that – he’d never begrudged his superiors any of that.Until now.





	Loyalty's Double-Edged Sword

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LadyShadowphyre](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyShadowphyre/gifts).



> Prompted: Established Relationship SaMichael + Poorly Timed Confession Sastiel/Michastiel

Castiel had been the one to rescue Dean from the enemy’s warcamp. Castiel had been the one to befriend the notorious Winchesters, the adventuring heroes whose exploits had brought them to the attention of both Michael’s band of soldiers and Lucifer’s band of thugs. Unlike most of the soldiers, Castiel had been the one to believe that they needed both Dean and Sam to defeat Lucifer’s commander Lilith, not just Dean. Castiel had fought Michael himself when he brought Sam to camp with Dean.

Lilith defeated, now Sam was in Michael’s tent every night, the two of them inseparable during the day. It was unreasonable, irrational, and not at all what Castiel was supposed to be, but he was jealous. He’d always had a bit of a crush borne of awe for Michael, and in his time with the Winchesters, building their trust in Michael’s soldiers, he’d come to love Sam. He’d planned to tell Sam of that once Lilith was gone, but when he found Sam to do so, Sam was in Michael’s arms and the two were kissing. He’d backed away and left before being noticed.

For months now, Castiel had kept quiet. He wasn’t a big deal, and there were far bigger problems than his jealousy to deal with. Raphael had split from Michael, seeking to destroy Lucifer and his thugs instead of simply containing them. Crowley had risen in the thugs’ ranks, organizing them in ways that Lucifer had never bothered to, turning them almost into a true military. Things were busy. Besides, what good could possibly come of speaking out? Michael and Sam would never break up, so all he could do is make them feel bad.

 

Tonight was difficult. Michael, Dean, and Sam had announced a strategy for dealing with Raphael and Crowley, and Michael and Sam had looked so in love and so proud of each other that Castiel had almost had to leave early. He didn’t, forcing himself to suffer through, but it was difficult.

Dean came to find him after the briefing. “Hey, man, what’s up with you? You looked miserable at the briefing. You’re not thinking of throwing in with Raphael, are you?”

“No. No! Is that what Michael thinks?” Castiel would join Crowley before he joined Raphael. Crowley, for all he was one of Lucifer’s, had a sort of honor. He would never turn against an ally he had a deal with, not unless he suspected that the ally’s betrayal was inevitable. Still, if Michael thought Castiel’s current unhappiness would lead to defecting, that could only make things worse.

“Michael doesn’t know what to think. Sam doesn’t believe it, but he can’t come up with anything else, either, so come on, spill. If it’s not Raphael, what is it?”

Castiel sighed, staring out at a fascinating tree in the distance. “It’s personal, and there’s nothing anyone can do to make it better. Tell the others to relax, I am not leaving Michael. Not unless you and Sam do, and I don’t think Sam’s in any hurry to go anywhere,” Castiel couldn’t help adding.

Dean frowned. “Cas? If I ask you a question and promise to keep the answer dead secret, will you answer me honestly?”

“Yes.” If Dean suspected, he might as well hear it. Dean would understand Castiel’s reason for silence. He wouldn’t do anything to disrupt the happiness Sam had found.

“Is it Sam or Michael you’re in love with? Been watching a while, and can’t tell. If it’s Sam, I gotta say, I wish you’d said something before he’d latched onto Michael, I like you a lot better and we wouldn’t be stuck here in the middle of wars that got nothing to do with us.”

“You… might still be,” Castiel said slowly. “It’s both. I wish I had said something earlier, too, but there’s nothing to gain by speaking up now.”

“Sure there is.” Castiel and Dean both jumped as Sam approached. “Cas, I’m so sorry. I had no idea. If I’d known, I’d have talked to you months ago. Michael’s suspected your feelings for him for a long time, but didn’t want to rock the boat on a suspicion, and he’s known mine since not long after we got together. This is the worst timing, man, because Michael just wanted to be sure about your loyalty before asking you to take on a potentially dangerous mission.”

“What would Michael ask me to do?” Maybe he’d be lucky, and it would keep him so busy he couldn’t think about the implications of what Sam had said. The implications that both Michael and Sam returned his feelings, and had chosen each other as much because they were certain of that relationship as anything else.

“Michael wants to send you to Crowley. It’s a dangerous alliance, but Dean and I both think the potential benefits are worth the risk, if we can find someone we can trust to take the mission who can handle that kind of work. You were our top choice…”

“If you could trust me. You can. I’ll do it. It will be good for me to get out of here, I think.”

Sam swallowed hard. “Come on, let’s go talk to Michael.”

 

Michael wrapped his arms around Castiel as soon as Sam had finished explaining. “You bloody idiot.”

“Excuse me?” Castiel tilted his head, staring at Michael.

“I get why you didn’t say anything until now, but your timing is terrible! You’ve been welcome in my and Sam’s relationship all along, we just didn’t know you wanted in. And now… Castiel, I don’t know who else I can trust with this, not after Raphael’s betrayal. The ones I still think I can trust, I can’t imagine being willing or able to perform this task. Do you have any recommendations that would allow you to stay with me and Sam, to get into this relationship like you should have been all along?”

Castiel opened his mouth to say he would go no matter what, but then it all hit him. Sam and Michael wanted him to join them. He didn’t have to break things up or decide which he wanted, they could have it all. Unfortunately, that meant he wasn’t prepared with a name of someone else who could go. One came out anyway. “Hannah. She’s loyal, but she’s far more flexible than most. I think she’ll handle this fine, and I have no concerns about her loyalty.”


End file.
